Creating Reminders - Setup Guide

🎯 What You'll Learn

• Quick create - 3-step setup in 1 minute
• Detailed setup - 10+ configuration options
• Bulk reminders - Apply to multiple plants
• Templates - Reuse common configurations

⚡ Quick Start

Create your first reminder in 60 seconds:

1. Navigate: Home → Reminders → "+ New Reminder"
2. Quick Form:
   • Select plant: "My Monstera"
   • Choose type: 💧 Watering
   • Set frequency: "Every 7 days"
3. Save: Done! First notification arrives in 7 days.

Result: Reminder created with smart defaults, notifications enabled!

📚 Complete Guide

Access Create Reminder

3 Starting Points:

1. Reminders Menu → "+ New Reminder"

   • Global reminder (can select any plant)
   • Best for: Creating multiple reminders at once

2. Dashboard → Reminders Card → "+"

   • Quick access from home
   • Best for: Quick reminder while browsing

3. Plant Details → Reminders Tab → "Add Reminder"

   • Pre-selected plant
   • Best for: Setting up all reminders for one plant

Quick Create (1 Minute)

Best For: Fast setup with smart defaults

Step 1: Select Plant

Options:

• Dropdown with all your plants
• Search by name
• Recently added plants shown first

Shortcut: If opened from Plant Details, plant is already selected ✓

Step 2: Choose Reminder Type

8 Types Available:

• 💧 Watering
• 🧪 Fertilizing
• ✂️ Pruning
• 🔍 Inspection
• 🪴 Repotting
• 🐛 Pest Check
• 📏 Measure Growth
• ✨ Custom Task

Auto-Filled:

• Title (e.g., "Water Monstera")
• Default frequency (e.g., Watering uses plant's watering schedule)
• Priority (e.g., Watering = High, Measurements = Low)

Step 3: Set Frequency

Common Patterns (Select from dropdown):

• Daily
• Every 3 days
• Weekly
• Bi-weekly
• Monthly
• Custom interval

Smart Defaults:

• Watering: Uses plant's watering frequency (from plant settings)
• Fertilizing: Monthly (during growing season)
• Pruning: Quarterly
• Inspection: Weekly
• Other types: Sensible defaults based on care needs

Tip: Accept defaults first time, adjust later based on actual needs.

Step 4: Save

What Happens:

• Reminder created
• First notification scheduled
• Added to "Active Reminders" list
• Shows on Dashboard (if due within 7 days)

Immediate Next Due: Shown on reminder card (e.g., "Due in 7 days")

Detailed Setup (3-5 Minutes)

Best For: Precise control, special requirements

Access Detailed Mode

From Quick Create: Click "More Options" at bottom of quick form

What You Get: Expanded form with 7 configuration sections

Section 1: Basic Information

Fields:

Title (Required)

• Default: "[Type] [Plant Name]" (e.g., "Water Monstera")
• Customize: Add notes (e.g., "Water Monstera - Deep Soak")

Reminder Type (Required)

• Choose from 8 built-in types or Custom

Plant (Required)

• Select single plant
• Can't apply detailed setup to multiple plants (use bulk create instead)

Description (Optional)

• Reminder notes: "Check soil first", "Use filtered water", "Add fertilizer to water"
• 500 character limit
• Supports basic markdown

Section 2: Frequency Settings

Recurrence Pattern (Required)

Options:

1. Daily - Every day (e.g., misting high-humidity plants)
2. Every X Days - Specify interval (e.g., every 3, 7, 14 days)
3. Weekly - Choose day(s) of week (e.g., every Sunday, or Sun + Wed)
4. Bi-Weekly - Every 2 weeks on specific day
5. Monthly - Choose date (e.g., 1st, 15th) or relative (e.g., first Monday)
6. Quarterly - Every 3 months
7. Annually - Yearly (e.g., repotting in spring)
8. Custom - Complex patterns (e.g., every 10 days, first and third Friday)

Start Date (Optional)

• Default: Today
• Future start: Schedule reminder to begin later
• Example: "Start fertilizing April 1st" (spring)

End Date (Optional)

• Default: No end (recurring forever)
• End after X occurrences (e.g., "5 times only")
• End on specific date (e.g., "Stop fertilizing Oct 1st" - winter dormancy)

Time of Day (Optional)

• Default: Any time
• Specific time: "9:00 AM" (notification delivered at this time)
• Time range: "Morning (6am-12pm)" (notification anytime in window)

Section 3: Advanced Options

Priority (Required)

Levels:

• 🔴 Critical - Urgent (plant in distress, overdue care)
• 🟠 High - Important (regular watering, pest treatment)
• 🟡 Medium - Routine (fertilizing, inspection)
• 🟢 Low - Optional (measurements, non-urgent tasks)

Impact: Affects notification persistence and visual emphasis

Notifications (Optional)

Channels (Select multiple):

• ✓ Push Notification (mobile/desktop alert)
• ✓ Email (reminder email)
• ✓ In-App (dashboard badge)

Advance Notice (Optional):

• Get notified before due date
• Options: 1 day, 3 days, 1 week before
• Example: Repotting reminder 1 week early (prep time to buy pot/soil)

Quiet Hours (Optional):

• No notifications during: 10 PM - 8 AM
• Override global setting per reminder

Dosage/Amount (Optional, type-dependent)

Available For:

• Watering: "500ml", "Until drainage", "½ cup"
• Fertilizing: "15ml liquid 10-10-10", "2 tbsp granular"
• Custom tasks: "3 sprays", "1 treatment"

Benefit: Consistency tracking, usage patterns, reorder alerts

Weather-Based (Optional, outdoor plants)

Options:

• ✓ Skip if rain forecasted (watering only)
• ✓ Adjust for temperature (increase frequency during heatwaves)
• ✓ Factor humidity (reduce watering in humid weather)

How It Works: PlantKeeper checks weather forecast, suggests skip/adjust in notification

Requires: Location access, outdoor plant marked in settings

Section 4: Seasonal Settings

Active Months (Optional)

Use Case: Tasks only needed certain times of year

Example Configurations:

• Fertilizing: Apr-Sep only (growing season)
• Outdoor Watering: May-Oct (frost-free season)
• Humidity Checks: Nov-Mar (dry winter months)

What Happens: Reminder auto-pauses outside active months, resumes when season returns

Section 5: Review & Save

Pre-Save Summary:

• Title & Type
• Frequency (in plain English: "Every 7 days")
• Next 5 occurrences with dates
• Notification settings
• Active season (if seasonal)

Actions:

• Save & Add Another - Quick workflow for multiple reminders
• Save as Template - Reuse this configuration later
• Save & Done - Finish and return to reminders list

Bulk Create (Multiple Plants)

Best For: Applying same reminder to multiple plants

When to Use

Perfect For:

• New user setting up all plants at once
• Seasonal task for all outdoor plants (e.g., "Bring indoors Oct 1st")
• Consistent routine across similar plants (e.g., "Water all succulents weekly")

Step 1: Select Plants

Options:

1. Select All - Every plant in collection
2. Select by Location - All plants in "Living Room"
3. Select by Tag - All plants tagged "Succulent"
4. Select by Collection - All plants in "Low Maintenance" collection
5. Manual Selection - Check individual plants

Tip: Use filters to narrow down, then select all filtered results

Step 2: Configure Reminder

Available Options: Same as Quick Create

• Reminder Type
• Frequency
• Priority
• Notifications

Not Available: Detailed options (dosage, weather-based, description)

• For plant-specific details, edit individually after creation

Step 3: Review & Create

Summary Shows:

• Number of plants selected (e.g., "12 plants")
• Reminder title template (e.g., "Water [Plant Name]")
• Frequency and next due

Confirm: Click "Create XX Reminders"

What Happens:

• One reminder created per plant
• All scheduled with same frequency
• Next due calculated individually per plant
• Can edit/pause each independently after creation

Templates (Reusable Configs)

Best For: Common reminder patterns you use repeatedly

Using Built-In Templates

PlantKeeper Provides:

1. Succulent Care

   • Water: Every 14 days
   • Fertilize: Quarterly
   • Inspect: Monthly

2. Tropical Care

   • Water: Every 3-5 days
   • Fertilize: Monthly (Apr-Sep)
   • Inspect: Weekly
   • Mist: Daily

3. Low Maintenance

   • Water: Every 10-14 days
   • Fertilize: Quarterly
   • Inspect: Monthly

4. Outdoor Summer

   • Water: Every 2-3 days (May-Sep)
   • Fertilize: Bi-weekly (Apr-Sep)
   • Inspect: Weekly
   • Pest Check: Weekly

How to Use:

1. Reminders → "New Reminder" → "Use Template"
2. Select template
3. Choose plant(s)
4. Confirm

Result: Multiple reminders created at once following template pattern

Creating Custom Templates

Steps:

1. Create Reminder with detailed setup
2. Before saving: Click "Save as Template"
3. Name template: "My Orchid Care", "High Humidity Routine"
4. Save: Template added to your library

When to Create:

• You have a multi-plant care routine that works well
• Specific plant type requiring unique schedule
• Complex reminder config you'll reuse

Managing Templates

Access: Settings → Reminders → "My Templates"

Actions:

• View all templates
• Edit template (updates for future use, doesn't change existing reminders)
• Delete template
• Share template (export for other users)

💡 Tips & Tricks

Start Conservative

First-Time Setup:

• Use longer intervals (e.g., water every 10 days instead of 7)
• Reason: You can always increase frequency, but over-watering causes problems
• Adjust after 2-3 cycles based on plant response

Use "Save & Add Another"

Setting Up New Plant:

1. Create watering reminder → "Save & Add Another"
2. Create fertilizing reminder → "Save & Add Another"
3. Create inspection reminder → "Save & Done"

Benefit: Stay in flow, don't navigate back to form repeatedly

Leverage Templates by Season

Spring Setup:

• Use "Growing Season" template
• Increase watering, add fertilizing

Fall Setup:

• Use "Dormancy" template
• Reduce watering, pause fertilizing

Benefit: Quick seasonal adjustments without manual edits

Batch Create by Location

Workflow:

1. Living Room Plants → Bulk create "Inspect weekly"
2. Bedroom Plants → Bulk create "Water every 10 days"
3. Outdoor Plants → Bulk create "Check for pests weekly"

Benefit: Location-based care routines (different light/humidity per room)

❓ Common Questions

Q: Can I edit a reminder after creating it?

A: Yes! See Managing Reminders for details. You can change frequency, priority, notifications, etc.

Q: What if I'm not sure of the frequency?

A: Start with template defaults, adjust after 2-3 cycles. Plants are forgiving, and you can always edit reminders!

Q: Can I create reminders without immediate notifications?

A: Yes! Set start date in future, or disable notifications and use "Today" view for manual checks.

Q: Does bulk create allow different frequencies per plant?

A: No. Bulk create applies same config to all plants. For plant-specific frequencies:

• Use Quick Create individually, or
• Bulk create first, then edit individual reminders

Q: Can I create reminders for plants I don't own yet?

A: No. You must create the plant first. Workflow:

1. Add plant (Plant Management → Add Plant)
2. During creation, you can set up reminders in "Reminders" step
3. Or create reminders after plant is saved

🔗 Related Topics

Essential Reading

• Reminder Types - Understand all 8 types
• Managing Reminders - Edit, pause, delete reminders

Related Features

• Adding Plants - Create plant + reminders together
• Bulk Operations - Batch actions on plants

Advanced Workflows

• Notifications - Configure alert preferences
• Care Routines - Build consistent habits (future doc)

Last Updated: October 24, 2025
Document Version: 2.0 (Modular Structure)